SN 6.1

Brahmāyācanasutta

Evaṁ me sutaṁ— ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā uruvelāyaṁ viharati najjā nerañjarāya tīre ajapālanigrodhamūle paṭhamābhisambuddho. Atha kho bhagavato rahogatassa paṭisallīnassa evaṁ cetaso parivitakko udapādi: “adhigato kho myāyaṁ dhammo gambhīro duddaso duranubodho santo paṇīto atakkāvacaro nipuṇo paṇḍitavedanīyo. Ālayarāmā kho panāyaṁ pajā ālayaratā ālayasammuditā. Ālayarāmāya kho pana pajāya ālayaratāya ālayasammuditāya duddasaṁ idaṁ ṭhānaṁ yadidaṁ idappaccayatāpaṭiccasamuppādo. Idampi kho ṭhānaṁ duddasaṁ yadidaṁ sabbasaṅkhārasamatho sabbūpadhipaṭinissaggo taṇhākkhayo virāgo nirodho nibbānaṁ. Ahañceva kho pana dhammaṁ deseyyaṁ; pare ca me na ājāneyyuṁ; so mamassa kilamatho, sā mamassa vihesā”ti. Apissu bhagavantaṁ imā anacchariyā gāthāyo paṭibhaṁsu pubbe assutapubbā:

The Appeal of the Divinity

So I have heard. At one time, when he was first awakened, the Buddha was staying in Uruvelā at the root of the goatherd’s banyan tree on the bank of the Nerañjarā River. Then as he was in private retreat this thought came to his mind, “This principle I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute. But people like clinging, they love it and enjoy it. It’s hard for them to see this topic; that is, specific conditionality, dependent origination. It’s also hard for them to see this topic; that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment. And if I were to teach this principle, others might not understand me, which would be wearying and troublesome for me.” And then these verses, which were neither supernaturally inspired, nor learned before in the past, occurred to the Buddha:

“Kicchena me adhigataṁ, halaṁ dāni pakāsituṁ; Rāgadosaparetehi, nāyaṁ dhammo susambudho.

“I’ve struggled hard to realize this, there’s no need to reveal it now! Those mired in greed and hate can’t really understand this teaching.

Paṭisotagāmiṁ nipuṇaṁ, gambhīraṁ duddasaṁ aṇuṁ; Rāgarattā na dakkhanti, tamokhandhena āvuṭā”ti.

It goes against the stream, subtle, deep, obscure, and very fine. Those besotted by greed cannot see, for they’re cloaked in a mass of darkness.”

Itiha bhagavato paṭisañcikkhato appossukkatāya cittaṁ namati, no dhammadesanāya.

And as the Buddha reflected like this, his mind inclined to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.

Atha kho brahmuno sahampatissa bhagavato cetasā cetoparivitakkamaññāya etadahosi: “nassati vata bho loko, vinassati vata bho loko, yatra hi nāma tathāgatassa arahato sammāsambuddhassa appossukkatāya cittaṁ namati, no dhammadesanāyā”ti. Atha kho brahmā sahampati—seyyathāpi nāma balavā puriso samiñjitaṁ vā bāhaṁ pasāreyya, pasāritaṁ vā bāhaṁ samiñjeyya; evameva—brahmaloke antarahito bhagavato purato pāturahosi. Atha kho brahmā sahampati ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā dakkhiṇajāṇumaṇḍalaṁ pathaviyaṁ nihantvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: “desetu, bhante, bhagavā dhammaṁ, desetu sugato dhammaṁ. Santi sattā apparajakkhajātikā, assavanatā dhammassa parihāyanti. Bhavissanti dhammassa aññātāro”ti. Idamavoca brahmā sahampati, idaṁ vatvā athāparaṁ etadavoca:

Then, knowing the Buddha’s train of thought, it occurred to the divinity Sahampati, “Oh lord! The world will be lost, the world will perish! For the mind of the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, inclines to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.” Then, as easily as a strong person would extend or contract their arm, he vanished from the realm of divinity and reappeared in front of the Buddha. He arranged his robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, raised his joined palms toward the Buddha, and said: “Sir, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They’re in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching. There will be those who understand the teaching!” That is what the divinity Sahampati said. Then he went on to say:

“Pāturahosi magadhesu pubbe, Dhammo asuddho samalehi cintito; Apāpuretaṁ amatassa dvāraṁ, Suṇantu dhammaṁ vimalenānubuddhaṁ.

“Among the Magadhans there appeared in the past an impure teaching thought up by the stained. Fling open the door to freedom from death! Let them hear the teaching the immaculate one discovered.

Sele yathā pabbatamuddhaniṭṭhito, Yathāpi passe janataṁ samantato; Tathūpamaṁ dhammamayaṁ sumedha, Pāsādamāruyha samantacakkhu; Sokāvatiṇṇaṁ janatamapetasoko, Avekkhassu jātijarābhibhūtaṁ.

Standing high on a rocky mountain, you can see the people all around. In just the same way, All-seer, so intelligent, having ascended the Temple of Truth, rid of sorrow, look upon the people swamped with sorrow, overcome by rebirth and old age.

Uṭṭhehi vīra vijitasaṅgāma, Satthavāha anaṇa vicara loke; Desassu bhagavā dhammaṁ, Aññātāro bhavissantī”ti.

Rise, hero! Victor in battle, caravan leader, wander the world free of debt. Let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! There will be those who understand!”

Atha kho bhagavā brahmuno ca ajjhesanaṁ viditvā sattesu ca kāruññataṁ paṭicca buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokesi. Addasā kho bhagavā buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante. Seyyathāpi nāma uppaliniyaṁ vā paduminiyaṁ vā puṇḍarīkiniyaṁ vā appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakānuggatāni anto nimuggaposīni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni samodakaṁ ṭhitāni, appekaccāni uppalāni vā padumāni vā puṇḍarīkāni vā udake jātāni udake saṁvaḍḍhāni udakā accuggamma ṭhitāni anupalittāni udakena; evameva bhagavā buddhacakkhunā lokaṁ volokento addasa satte apparajakkhe mahārajakkhe tikkhindriye mudindriye svākāre dvākāre suviññāpaye duviññāpaye, appekacce paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante, appekacce na paralokavajjabhayadassāvine viharante. Disvāna brahmānaṁ sahampatiṁ gāthāya paccabhāsi:

Then the Buddha, understanding the Divinity’s invitation, surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha, out of his compassion for sentient beings. And the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not. It’s like a pool with blue water lilies, or pink or white lotuses. Some of them sprout and grow in the water without rising above it, thriving underwater. Some of them sprout and grow in the water reaching the water’s surface. And some of them sprout and grow in the water but rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to them. In the same way, the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not. When he had seen this he replied in verse to the divinity Sahampati:

“Apārutā tesaṁ amatassa dvārā, Ye sotavanto pamuñcantu saddhaṁ; Vihiṁsasaññī paguṇaṁ na bhāsiṁ, Dhammaṁ paṇītaṁ manujesu brahme”ti.

“Flung open are the doors to freedom from death! Let those with ears to hear commit to faith. Thinking it would be troublesome, Divinity, I did not teach the sophisticated, sublime Dhamma among mankind.”

Atha kho brahmā sahampati “katāvakāso khomhi bhagavatā dhammadesanāyā”ti bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā padakkhiṇaṁ katvā tatthevantaradhāyīti.

Then the divinity Sahampati, knowing that his request for the Buddha to teach the Dhamma had been granted, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.